I firmly believe George's untimely death in Young Sheldon was caused by this specific reason 

I firmly believe George
I firmly believe George's untimely death in Young Sheldon was caused by this specific reason (Image Via CBS)

Young Sheldon's father dies in Season 7 Episode 12, exactly when everything started to appear hopeful for the family. George Sr. got his dream job as a coach and happily waved his hand to his family before leaving for the office. His wife reminds him to be home on time, and boom. They never see George Sr. after that and only get to know about the news of his sudden heart attack in Young Sheldon.

I firmly believe George's death is not as tragic or sudden as it seemed in the show. George was already suffering from isolation within his own family while his kids were away from home in Germany for Sheldon's academic career. Many times, young Sheldon has pointed out his father's unhealthy eating habits. When everything seems to be falling into the right place, George's death becomes the most disheartening it could be for the viewers.

Therefore, I feel George's death could’ve been a result of emotional neglect, worsened by Mary and Sheldon being away in Germany. Read on to know more.

**Disclaimer: The below content is the author's opinion. Reader's discretion is advisable.


Young Sheldon subtly hinted at George Sr.'s physical and mental conditions

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Even season 1 of Young Sheldon has subtly hinted at the dwindling health condition of George Sr. and that nobody is doing anything about that. He’s portrayed as slightly overweight and not physically active throughout the series. He often suffers from tiredness and shortness of breath, along with complaints of physical discomfort. Some episodes also refer directly to his chest pains and feeling extraordinarily exhausted after a long day.

Not just physically, George Sr. was also feeling alienated and disconnected from his wife, entirely focusing on Sheldon's genius career. In one of the scenes in Season 5 Episode 13, Mary feels burdened with all the parenting that she needs to do and tries passing it on to George, who is already tired of his work. Later, when Sheldon asks George if he could stay overnight at someone's place, George simply says yes without arguing, taking one more thing "off Mary's plate." Mary gets angry and quickly rushes to the place where Sheldon is staying while ranting over how she is the only one who takes care of the kids, while George Sr. doesn't care.


George Sr. was often portrayed as having unhealthy eating habits in Young Sheldon

I firmly believe George's untimely death in Young Sheldon was caused by this specific reason (Image via CBS)
I firmly believe George's untimely death in Young Sheldon was caused by this specific reason (Image via CBS)

George does casually drink beer, and occasionally it’s shown as a coping mechanism for stress or frustration. While it’s not depicted as a full-blown addiction, it's still a part of his unhealthy lifestyle that likely contributed to his declining health. He often ignores the signs of deteriorating health and chooses to brush them off by calling it simple tiredness.

Therefore, it can be speculated that all of these finally led to his death, and hence it was not as tragic as it seemed in Young Sheldon. The show, since the start, had this in mind: to first connect the viewers emotionally to the characters, and exactly when everything seemed perfect, make them realize how unpredictable life is.

Edited by Sroban Ghosh